Last week, a fellow Merry Mystic named Dudley asked me to explain something about my song, “Longs For You.” Dudley wrote:
Such a beautiful thought, and feeling!
You declare that you know for sure that She longs for us, Adam. Can you elaborate a bit on HOW you know this for sure? When I meditate, I sometimes feel a sure Presence that carries me for hours. But I have considered this a result of my own longing; I’ve never really thought that God was “longing” for me! How can you be so sure of that?
Well, there’s a story behind this, but it takes a bit of telling, so I’ve put off answering until today. But now, here it is: I once heard five words from God.
[youtube id=u-z98q723YU]
Please join the conversation by sharing a story or asking a question below.
P.S. If you missed my song, “Longs For You,” you can still find it here.
Wow, Adam! I’m really honored to have you address my question with such a personal story. I have no trouble believing that God spoke to you. I’m still considering how that holy moment gave you the sure knowledge that She/he “longs for us.”
Certain things seem to stand out in the story: you were listening; you were in a state of “pre-reasoning”; you genuinely and powerfully felt the Truth that God loves (and longs for) you.
You mentioned that this is a traditional teaching of churches. I guess I have somehow missed that idea, as a Progressive Christian. I would like to believe it, and I’m not discarding it. There have been many, many sacred times in my life when I have felt the presence of the Spirit of God. It involved a closeness that gave me peace and strength.
So maybe this is just a matter of semantics. Maybe the word “longing,” which YOU know for sure, is comparable to “welcoming” ???
Thanks,
Dudley
PS. There is a story by Albert Schweitzer about a moment when he was walking at sunset. “…there flashed upon my mind, unforeseen and unsought, the phrase, Reverence for Life.”
You are in good company, Adam.
A couple of years ago I experienced an epiphany moment. What I heard came from deep within me — it was a clarity like I’d never known before: Fear not this human journey. Revel in it. Surrender to it. Let it have its way. Spirit is eternal.
As I watched and listened to your video, the sounds of the birds kept pulling me back to that moment. Their gentle, sweet song.
And as I watched and listened I realized, I have been resisting that moment. Resisting that clarity. That truth that spoke so deeply from within me, and to me.
“Epiphanies rarely answer any questions.” Thank you for this.
God cannot tell me what to do. Her/his spirit is my spirit. We are one in eternity.
On this human plane, whatever I do, God knows it is my expression of divine grace.
Thank you Adam for re-awakening me this morning.
BTW – I followed the link from your guest article at Monk in the World.
Thank you, Louise. I’ve sometimes wondered why God doesn’t tell me what to do more often. I’m convinced that God exists, and is perfectly able to communicate clearly with me. So why doesn’t God just answer more of my questions? I conclude that maybe God wants this to be my adventure — my human journey, as you put it. Luckily, it’s not a journey I have to make alone.
Best blessings on yours!